Korean Indie Music… in English

Tag Archives: Ninano Nanda

A few days ago, the timetable was released to us common folk. It seems that they tried to intersperse the rock acts in amongst the non-rock acts instead of clumping them all together. So… no matter what time you go, there’ll be a smorgasbord of musics to sample and taste. I’ll make an english timetable at the end of this post for all you non-hangeul-reading mofos. By the by – weather report is lookin’ real nice.

On to the music:

Lee Han Cheol – Don’t know too much about him except that he is from the old guard of Korean pop rock. He’s had radio play throughout the years since his 1994 debut and has done all the TV shows. He headlined every single Sunset Live that I’ve been to so at this point he’s just part of the landscape for me. Another band my wife will love.

Windy City – This band is a powerhouse on the Korean reggae scene. Hell – it could be argued that they ARE the Korean reggae scene. The band leader/singer/drummer, Kim Ban Jang, is a self-professed Rastafarian who has been known to spend a lot of time in Jamaica each year. He is also the frontman for Bibim Dub Trio (Live dub reggae) and I & I Djangdan (Korean folk/Dub reggae). With his stage presence and his constant posse wherever he goes, he can come of as some kind of prophet. That doesn’t detract from his chops though… his singing and rhythm are spot on – enough so to send Windy City to the SXSW festival in Austin, TX last year. Every Windy City performance I’ve seen has been special in some way… can’t wait to enjoy them again on Sunday! Rumor has it they’ve been exploring Soul music this past year…

Human Race – I’ve seen these guys a few times this summer at various festivals. Apparently, they had a hit on one of the Top Band TV shows and now all the kids go nuts for them. A very tight sounding band… I can’t tell if their single sounds familiar because I’ve heard it before or because it sounds like some other band from back home.

Bard – Another purely unique Korean act that you can predictably see at Sunset each year. These folks play traditional celtic music. It’s perfect for just lying down in the sun and enjoying life. Great songwriting and superb talent.

Unchained – These boys are some of the hardest working bands in busan right now. They began as an Alice in Chains cover band but have quickly branched out to writing their own AiC inspired original music. Very fun to watch and get into with the crowd. This is a must-see band within the Busan music scene. They recently released a new music video featuring the singer from 21 Scott.

One Drop East – I’m quite partial to these guys… after all (full disclosure), it is, in fact, the band I play in. So I won’t toot our own horn section too much… just suffice to say this is a show we look forward to playing every year.

Tehiun & Purijah – I’m very excited to see these guys. I’ve seen the lead singer, Tehiun, once before in a solo, acoustic show and he was amazing. These boys are newish on the reggae scene, but they’ve made up for lost time. Tehiun runs his own record label and his own indie music magazine in addition to writing songs for and leading Purijah. The songs themselves are infective and easy to sing a long to, even if Korean isn’t your first language!

Ninano Nanda – Another bizarre act on paper that works miraculously in action. Ninano Nanda are a duo – he lays down funky house and dub beats, she sings ethereal pansori (Korean folk singing) over the top. Just fantastic. A truly Korean experience. Don’t miss these two!

Seoul Riddim Superclub – They are a late addition to the Sunset lineup, but extremely welcome. They are the reggae supergroup composed of 13 members from Kingston Rudieska, Tehiun and Purijah with MC’s Jahmai and Rude Paper. Since they are such a large group spanning multiple bands, it is rare for them to put on a live show. This will be a special performance for everyone, both on stage and in front of it.

Seoul Riddim Superclub

Hot Pepper Pasta – This band represents the finest jazz talent Busan has to offer. But you won’t find them playing along to grampy’s old records. Hot Pepper Pasta turn up the volume with blistering horn lines, the deepest funk grooves and horn solos that make you scream. If you miss them here, you can find them most Saturday nights at Billie Jean in Haeundae… or you could catch them both places!

Cozy Cafe – I don’t know much about this band… but from what I’ve seen on youtube they look like a great jazzy pop group. Cute and capable singer, talented band. Can’t ask for much more.

Chowchips – Even though these guys are are listed dead last in the lineup, they are one of the bands I’m most excited to see. I caught them at a festival a month or so back and was blown away. Their sound is that perfect mix of blues and old hippie rock. The singer is charismatic and every band member wails. Wait for those ridiculous lead guitar solos. Can’t wait to see more of Cowchips as time goes on. The video below isn’t great quality but you get an idea of what they’re about…

So there you have it… every damn band of the weekend. A whole lot of winners in there too. It isn’t too late to pre-order tickets (details in part 2) or you can just buy a wrist band on the day. See you at Sunset Live!!!

At the end of every summer, great bands from every corner of Korea, Japan and beyond converge upon some idyllic place near Busan and make a party. Pure and simple. No pretensions, no stress, no worries. It’s called Sunset Live and it’s the little brother of one of the largest reggae festivals in the world.

My first Sunset Live was 3 years ago in the mountains near Yangsan. It was just a small gathering of music lovers… maybe 50 or 60. Back then, it was only a one day festival but most of the bands and fans stayed overnight in a nearby ski lodge. The all night party was RIDICULOUS. The sound company set up a small dance club in the hotel lobby… which was joined by Brazilian beat masters Rapercussion (also on the bill this year). They distributed all manner of percussive toys and drums to us and suddenly the dance party became a percussion jam along to the DJ’s rhythms. I remember the band leader walking around with a whistle giving various rhythms to people. All the bands lounged around on the picnic tables outside and the beer flowed like wine. The good vibes were organic and I was having too good a time to grasp how fondly I’d later look back on that weekend.

And I digress… Just know that I look forward to this festival every year starting on the last chord of the previous year’s final band.

The festival’s first year was 1993 in Itoshima, Japan. A group of surfers rented out a parking lot and brought as many people together as they could to raise funds and awareness for the ocean. The first year’s motto was “Let’s Clean Up Our Dirty Ocean!” or something along those lines as it doesn’t quite translate. These days, the Fukuoka festival is 3 days with 75+ bands on the lineup. The Busan festival is now in it’s 7th year and growing nicely.

This year the festival will be held at Songjeong beach over two days (August 31st and September 1st) with 25+ bands covering Electronica, Reggae, Ska, Jazz, Pop and various Rocks. Even though Sunset Live grows each year, it has still managed to keep it’s grassroots feel. Bands mingle with the regular folk… good food (last year was catered by the Holy Grill in Daegu!)… cool vendors… Everything is just perfectly chill. As it’s a long day outside, I suggest you bring the usual sun protection, a nice blanket to sit on, some folding chairs perhaps and a cooler with ice and refreshing beverages.

With all these bands, I’m not going to squeeze everything into one post… but spread it out into several. The order of bands will be thus:

If you’re interested in buying tickets beforehand, you can get them on Interpark but you might need a Korean friend to help the process along. Prices are 22,000 won for 1 day… 33,000 won for both days: a goddamn steal considering the cost of most other weekend festivals you’ll find around Korea.

UPDATE: The festival is promoting a buy 5 get 1 free deal for tickets!

And while I’m mentioning money, I’d like to say that the organizers seem to care very little for it. You won’t find yourself paying 5 bucks for a bottle of water and they don’t mind if you bring in your own food or drink.

I’ll leave you all with a plain ol’ lineup per day. Of course, within the list are bands I’m excited to see for the first time, bands I’ve never heard of and bands I’m psyched to see for the umpteenth time… But I can’t honestly say any one of these bands isn’t worth seeing on their own. It’s music lover’s Festivus with no grievances to air!